Mongols bikie wins appeal to keep his gun licence
AN “HONEST and trustworthy” bikie has been allowed to keep his gun licence despite being a member of one of the most violent outlaw motorcycle gangs in America.
NSW
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AN “HONEST and trustworthy” bikie has been allowed to keep his gun licence despite being a member of one of the most violent outlaw motorcycle gangs in America.
Mongols member Paul Stamatelatos, 50, took the NSW Police Commissioner to court after he was stripped of his licence in December last year.
It was ruled his OMCG membership meant he was not a “fit and proper person” to hold a firearms licence as required under the Firearms Act, nor was it in the public interest.
Mr Stamatelatos, who requires a gun for his work as a security officer at Armaguard, accused the police of picking on him simply for being an OMCG member.
The tribunal heard Mr Stamatelatos had been a member of the Mongols OMCG since mid-2013.
While there was no evidence he had engaged in any criminal conduct, the tribunal heard there were concerns OMCG members were obliged to comply with gang rules, while also having to prove they were worthy of a patch.
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Among the glowing references about Mr Stamatelatos submitted to the court by various security contacts included that he was “honest and hardworking”, “honest and trustworthy”, “displaying above average customer service and incident management skills” and “being an extremely competent security operative”.
Mr Stamatelatos said he had held a firearms licence “without incident” for 16 years.
In overturning the gun licence ban, tribunal senior member Anna Maria Scahill said she was not satisfied Mr Stamatelatos held a risk to public safety.
The office of the NSW Police Commissioner said it was now reviewing its options.
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